Flower Mart was founded in 1911 by the Women’s Civic League, an organization formed to advocate for better living conditions in the City of Baltimore. A focal point of the original market was to encourage flower, plant, and vegetable gardening in the yards of homes and vacant lots—thereby making them green.

The Women’s Civic League managed the event for almost ninety years, and along the way the festival’s signature Lemon Stick treat was introduced—a porous peppermint stick used as a “straw” to suck the juice out of a halved lemon—sweety and tangy—and very refreshing.